Exercise: Colour Accuracy

I chose objects which made a pleasing arrangement, but although I did a couple of sketches beforehand, I felt that the whole thing was overwhelmingly complicated for some unknown reason. So, I did as suggested in the instructions and focused on a smaller area where I found some interesting angles, juxtapositions and shapes. I was mindful to be also aware of  tonal relationships. Things seemed to slot into place so much better once I had done this. I covered the surface in a dark mid tone wash and objects were outlined with a light grey.

When mixing the lighter tones in the rusty red surface cloth I experienced some difficulty as naturally they were turning pink which wasn't the intention. To combat this I added some burnt umber but had to be careful as this in turn had a darkening effect. The nuances of hue and tone on the chilli pepper were also very challenging for me. In fact it seemed to take forever before I was sufficiently satisfied  to leave it alone. The candle and the foreground stone were the only aspects I felt happy with both during the process and with the result, partly because I was aware of having taken a more relaxed approach to these. But what was the other part?  I think the point of the exercise was to obtain accuracy in colours above all else, which I achieved, but I found myself being dragged into trying to create a realistic appearance, which again frustrated me somewhat.